New Delhi Dining & Shopping

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Shopping

India's rich historical and cultural legacy has created a wealth of handcrafted items and Delhi is the country's foremost shopping centre. Colourful bazaars in the old and new city are fascinating places to shop or just to browse for handicrafts made of brass, wood and leather as well as for jewellery. Shops tend to open around 1000 and close between 1800 and 1900. VAT is currently not used in India, however, implementation of this is planned for April 2003. Tip: Remember that bargaining is expected in the bazaars and smaller shops.

Antiques Good buys are antique lamps, crystal and books. Delhi

Artwork Several galleries carry paintings by contemporary artists. As the seat of empires for centuries and with royalty as patrons, Delhi has long been a cultural centre attracting the best painters throughout the country. Therefore you are sure to find something that takes your fancy. Even if not intending to buy, just looking will be a pleasure to most. Among the active galleries are Art Heritage, Triveni Art Gallery, Sridharani Gallery, Art Today, Vadehra Art Gallery, Eicher Gallery, Gallery 42, Dhoomi Mal Art Centre, Gallery Escape, Lalit Kala Akademi, LGT Gallery, Gallery Ganesha, Gallery steps, AIFACS, Max Mueller Photo Gallery, British Council Division Gallery, Gallery Romain Rolland, Khirkee Gallery, the Village Gallery and at times the American Centre.

Carpets and Rugs Caution is the watchword when it comes to buying carpets, which means sticking to reputable fixed-price, non-commission shops. All the carpets at Saga, on Mathura Road, come with a Central Silk Board guarantee. Similarly, Barakhamba Gallery, on Barakhamba Road, and June 1st, at New Friends Colony, offer high-quality goods and service.

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Clothing Probably the top place to shop is Fabindia in Greater Kailash 646-5497, which exports much of its stock. Fabindia sells cool and classically tailored Indian clothing, as well as some household goods.

Handicraft The most central of the government-run handicraft centres is the Cottage Industries Emporium, on Janpath, which is well stocked with leather, textiles, jewellery, silks, cotton and saris. On Baba Kharak Sing Marg, the Himachal Pradesh Emporium has soft blankets and shawls in wool, cashmere or pashmina, while the Poompahar Emporium stocks the region’s glazed Thanjuver pottery and traditional stone carvings of gods and goddesses, and the Uttar Pradesh Emporium specialises in leather goods and copper and brass items. Located in south Delhi, Hauz Khas Village has a centralised collection of furniture shops and bazaars, along with a good selection of frequently changing boutiques offering designer clothes, silks, chiffons and organzas. Traditional crafts, have long been practiced in Delhi and you’ll discover fine potters, wooden toy makers, kite makers and lacquer craftsmen in Old Delhi where it is not unusual to come upon a traditional workshop.

Jewellery Jewellery Jaipur Kundan Style Jewellery Items made in the famed Jaipur kundan style (precious stones and gems are inlaid into gold) are particularly popular. Gold and Silver Jewellery Can be found t numerous outlets throughout the city and often good deals can be found. Diamonds and other Precious Stones Look for good buys in diamonds and other precious stones.

Markets Delhi’s markets come crammed with goods, people and smells. The magnificent bazaars of Chandni Chowk are open daily and piled high with gold, nuts, spices, silks, carpets and perfume and are worth visiting for the spectacle alone. Sunder Nagar Market, off Mathura Road, is open Monday-Saturday and is a good place to search for antiques and jewellery, as well as boasting a huge variety of other knick-knacks and artefacts spilling out of the shops. One of Delhi's most prestigious markets and a regular haunt of the city’s ex-pats, is Khan Market, just south of India Gate, open Tuesday-Sunday. There are a number of excellent bookshops here. The wholesale Spice Market, on Khari Baoli, in the Old City, is where, for centuries, the culinary traditions of North Asia, China, Persia and the Middle East have worked their influence on local cuisine. Many markets specialize in certain goods, such as fabrics or crafts or produce, while others have a type of two-of-everything selection that is almost daunting. Travellers with even the most marginal interest in shopping should nonetheless check out at least one market, if only for the sheer spectacle.

Metalwork (including Gold and Silver enamelling etc) The city is particularly well known for its silver and gold enamelling and you’ll find master-craftsmen for this living in the Walled City where there are also miniature painters.

Terra-cotta is available at a number of markets and stalls around town.

Textiles Top-quality textiles (particularly silks) can be purchased at bargain prices. Silk dresses and shawls are especially popular, and hundreds of boutiques sell women's fashions and accessories.

Zari Zardozi or embroidery in gold thread can be found throughout Delhi and a popular spot for a good choice of this craft is in the Walled City.

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Dining

From age old eateries in the by lanes of the Walled City to glitzy, specialty restaurants in five star hotels, Delhi is a moveable feast. It offers a choice of Indian and international cuisines in different ambiences to suit varied budgets.

Mughlai and Frontier Cuisines For gourmets, Delhi is synonymous with Mughlai and Frontier cuisines. The best of Mughlai cuisine can be enjoyed at Karim, (both in Jama Masjid and Nizamuddin) where recipes, dating from the times of the Mughals have been the closely guarded secret of generations of chefs. Delhi Ka Aangan (Hyatt Regency), Darbar (Ashoka Hotel) and Corbetts (Claridges) are among the many options available in the expensive range, while Gulati Restaurant (Pandara Market), Angeethi (Asiad Village) and Degchi (Regal Building) are among those catering to more modest budgets.

Frontier Cuisine The finest frontier cuisine is available at the Bukhara (Maurya Sheraton), Frontier (Ashoka Hotel) and Baluchi (The Hilton).

Road Side Eateries At the other end of the scale are many popular road side eateries around Jama Masjid and Nzamuddin where kababs, rotis and biryani are order of the day.

Chinese Cuisine Every five star hotel in the city has a Chinese restaurant, while most markets in South Delhi have a medium budget Chinese restaurants. The popularity of this cuisine can be gauged by the innumerable Chinese food outlets of the "meals-on-wheels" and kiosk variety.

Other Speciality Restaurants The growing sophistication Delhi's palate is discernable in the increasing number of speciality restaurants such as EI Arab (Regal Building), Dum Pukht or the process of slow cooking developed in Awadh (Maurya Sheraton), Kashmiri food at Chor Bizarre (Hotel Broadway), Thai food at Baan Thai (The Oberoi) and Sukothai (Hauz Khas Village), Japenese food at Tokyo (Ashoka Hotel) and Osaka (Hauz Khas Village), Tibetan food at eateries near Chanakya Theatre, and Mexican food at Rodeo (Connaught Place). South Indian food is another favourite, the vegetarian variety of which is best in enjoyed at Sagar (Defence Colony), Sagar Ratna (Lodhi Hotel) and Dasaprakash (Hotel Ambassador). Coconut Grove (Ashok Yatri Niwas) offers excellent non-vegetarian cuisine from South India. The best of continental cuisine can be eaten at five star hotels, for instance La Rochelle (The Oberoi), The Orient Express (Taj Palace) and Captains Cabin (Taj Man Singh), though numerous multi-cuisine restaurants also offer continental food. Keeping pace with the changing face of the city are the growing number of fast food outlets which serve all manner of cuisines.

Indian Cuisine Delightful outlets offering a range of Indian cuisines are the food stalls at Dilli Haat. Here, the cuisine of different states is made available at very moderate rates and are generally very pleasant places in which to enjoy the food. For the more intrepid, eateries such as those at Paranthe wali gali, or chaat at Bengali Market and Sunder Nagar, bhelpuri at Greater Kailash and sweetmeats from Annapoorna and Ghantewala can be part of the gastronomical tour of Delhi. Delhi is also synonymous with the omnipresent tandoori chicken and tandoori roti, which makes a delicious meal. This is often available at roadside dhabas at a moderate cost.